US2871462A - Information display devices - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 27, 1959 A. R. EGGENSPERGER ETAI. 2,871,462

INFORMATION DISPLAY DEVICES Filed Oct. 5, 1955 11 Sheets-Sheet 1 E m E F E W R MS E RE M K. BM! R m F E T [F K HO M T B L O R O H N E O m F F O G W T A m m R R O E w T T A, M R s m N R M E T P l m F FIG.6

FIG.6

FIG5

FIG.2

F/G. /2 m.

F/G./3. FIG-I su su 224.1- 224%' 224 224 Is NOTE WK 197% I9 E5 RESUMS- uSU IIIIIwK FIG. /5

FIG/4A lNVENTORS FIG. ISA

Jan. 27, 1959 A. R. EGGENSPERGER ET AL INFORMATION DISPLAY DEVICES l1 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 5. 1955 FIG. 2

LINE

LINE RELAY STOP STAR- STOP STAR- TAP FT CONTACT- PRINT CONTACT INVENTORS ARLO R EGGENSPERGER DAN/EL E. FOLEY A FNKCDIJRYHQPZTWLXM.VBOLG SDWUIET A UPPER CASE LOWER CASE SHIFT CONTACT A TTORNE Y Jan. 27, 1959 A. R. EGGENSPERGER ETAL 2,871,462

INFORMATION DISPLAY- DEVICES Filed Oct. 5, 1955- 11 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. .3

CODE LEADS PRINT TAPE c-l R-S L RUB-OUT NO-QUOTE CIRCUIT COMMON IN l E N TOPS DAN/EL E. FOLEY ATTORNEY Jan. 27, 1959 A. R. EGGENSPERGER ETAL 2,371,462

INFORMATION DISPLAY DEVICES Filed Oct. 5, 1955 11 Sheets-Sheet 4 4 CODE LEADS PRlNT 1-x M0 U w Fl T SECOND SECOND LE$ FER LETTER LETTER s U9. awn or coozs I I I SU L SW CODE TRANSLATOR CIRCUIT INDIVIDUAL ATTORNE Y Jan. 27, 1959 A. R. EGGENSPERGER ETAL 2,871,462

INFORMATION DISPLAY DEVICES Filed Oct. 5, 1955 11 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. 5 QUOTATlON ALTERNATOR PRINT SHIFT CONTACT TAPE TO LAST QUOTE LAMPS TO K RELAYS uvvaw raps ARLO R. E GGENSPERGER DAN/EL E. FOLEY av A TTORNE V Jan; 27, 1959 A. R. mama-nan n M 2,871,462

INFORMATION DISPLAY DEVICES l'ilod Oct. 5, 1955 11 Sheets-Sheet 6 FIG. 6

I DIGIT 3 LEVEL I OTI'ILER RELAYS IN l/E N TOPS ARLO R EGGENSPERGER DAN/EL E. FOLEY & ATTORNEY Jan; 27, 1959 A. R. EGGENSPERGER ETAL 2,871,462

' INFORMATION DISPLAY uavxczs Filed 1955 11 Sheets-Sheet 7 FIG. 7

NUMERAL o LASJ NUMERALI n NUMERAL a NUMERAL 4 NUMERAL 9 2a VOLTS H7 VOLTS A.C.

INVENTORS A T TORNE V Jan. 27, 1959 A. R. EGGENSPERGER ET AL INFORMATION DISPLAY nzvrcns Filed Oct. 5. 1955 11 Shoots-Sheet 8 FIG. 8

=a =s s=s =5 :2 =& =i=s CATHODE APPLICATION OF GLOW MAYNARD LAMP S. N. 420366 FILED APRIL M954 EACH CATHODE BENT INTO FORM OF A DIFFERENT ARABIC NUMERAL q; 2&0 vours ac.

INVENTO S DAN/E L EIFOLEY A TTORNE V Jan. 27, 1959 A. R. EGGENSPERGER ETAL 2,871,462

INFORMATION DISPLAY DEVICES Filed Oct. 5. 1955 v 11 Sheets-Sheet 9 F/G. 9 DISPLAY UNIT 2, I su Jr I FIRST SECOND THIRD I: FRACTION 9 DIGIT DIGIT DIGIT I '03 J \oj' 491 \0 J J FIRST SECOND THIRD ACT N R DIGIT DIGIT DIGIT FR IO A o9\o-Q9\o--g/\0J 9 3 l INVENTORS DAN/EL E. FOLEY ATTORNEY Jan. 27, 1959 Filed Oct. 5, 1955 A. R. EGGENSPERGER EI'AL INFORMATION DISPLAY DEVICES 11 Sheets-Sheet 1O INVENTORS mm H. faaspmem DAN/El. 5. FLEF ATTORNEY IND! INDZ

11 Sheets-Sheet 11 FIG.

fi v Q h M R m hy .H W $55 v, A wNL W 5 R 0M AM I If A. R EGGENSPERGER ET AL INFORMATION DISPLAY DEVICES Jan. 27, 1959 Filed Oct. 5, 1955 PRINT CONTACTS ON ERASE RELAY United States PatentO INFORMATION DISPLAY DEVICES Arlo Raleigh Eggensperger, Tenafly, and )aniel Elmore Foley, Nutley, N. .L, assignors to William Francis Hogan, New York, N. Y.

Application October 5, 1955, Serial No. 538,650

5 Claims. (Cl. -340-154) This invention relates to market quotation systems and more particularly to the automatic display of quotations of prices of stocks or commodities traded on any one of a number of different exchanges. I

It is desirable to exhibit the prices of the commodities, stocks, or other items traded on the exchange in various brokers offices, an object not generally heretofore realized because of the cost and complication of the apparatus necessary. In the past it has been customary to provide large and complicated display boards which show the previous close of the commodity or stock, the high and low and last price, and means for automatically changing these various display items and prices of each of the stocks and commodities in question. Such prior art auto matic display boards are large, costly, and expensive to maintain. I

It has been conventional to provide ticker service, that is, a printing mechanism on a transmission line over which scattered items of information in a number of categories might be printed on a tape. It has been conventional for a person wishing to know the most recent information in a particular category to scan that portion of the tape issuing from the ticker backwards over previously printed information until he could mentally assemble the pertinent facts, but this was time consuming and particularly it was available to but a single person at a time.

'A feature of the present invention is a device which will respond to the same signals supplied to the tickers and which will automatically assemble and display the latest information in all the categories in which a ticker service cutsomer might be interested. The display will be on a sufficiently large scale to serve a fair sized audience.

A feature of the invention is that the display board may be of any desired size and equipped to provide price quotations on any desired number of stocks or commodities, from one to the complete number handled by the ticker service. capable of handling the output of a plurality of ticker service circuits.

In the conventional ticker service it is usual to scatter other items of information among those constituting price quotations and hence to prevent the erroneous operation of some one of the display devices by the fortuitous simulation of a quotation code, among these other items of information, an on and off switching device is provided which turns the receiving circuit off when an item of information constituting matter other than a quotation is about to be transmitted and which in its body might contain a pair of letters constituting a commodity code.

The present invention therefore consists of a device which operates directly from a normal ticker circuit, which is automatically enabled to receive items of information and, of those received, to select and display only predetermined ones.

In accordance with this invention an improved and simplified commodtiy exchange system is provided wherein The device of the present invention isice only the last and next to the last quotations are displayed.

' normal ticker service supplied to the brokers ofiice for conveying information on the prices of the commodities or stocks traded in to actuate and control the display equipment of the present invention, thus obviating the need for special transmission required for the larger and more complicated devices employed heretofore or the translation to any special coding for the remote control of registers.

Another feature of this invention relates to gaseous discharge display devices wherein each of the digits of each display is by means of a gas discharge tube. Each of these tubes has a plurality of cathodes each comprising a fine wire bent into the form of a letter or number and arranged in a number of parallel planes normal to the axis thereof and a common anode. The cathodes may be selectively energized so that when so energized they will by means of the conventional cathode glow exhibit the numeral desired. Such gaseous discharge tubes have been called Inditrons and are described in greater detail in a patent application of F. Maynard, Serial Number 420,366, filed April 1, 1954, now Patent No. 2,756,366,

dated July 24, 1956.

Another feature of this invention is the use of a display device consisting of a stack of plastic discs each having an Arabic numeral etched thereon which is made to glow by the application'of light to the edge of the disc. When ten of these discs are closely packed any one of the digits 0 to 9 may be displayed within the confines of a small area by lighting any one'of ten lamps. Such display de vices are conventional and applicants make no claim to the device alone.

The choice of oneor another of these display devices depends on the size of the apparatus unit. If such a unit is small and is adapted for a limited number of commodity quotations and is practically for viewing by an individual, then the cathode glow lamps may be employed, but if larger display numerals are required as when the device will be viewed by a group of brokers or customers then the edge lighted etched plastic pile up may be used. It is to be noted that the latter may vary in size so that the commodity quotation display cabinet may be fabricated to suit the brokers need.

Another feature of this invention relates to the use of a non-typing telegraph selection mechanism for controlling the display of the quotations of various commodities on the display board or system. Suitable types of non-typing selectors are shown in United States Patent 2,120,235, granted to Beattie et al., June 4, 1938, and United States Patent 2,112,234, granted March 29, 1938, to Beattie et a1.

Another type of conventional telegraph selector is the so-called ticker which has been modified by the removal of its type wheel and the provision of a contact operated by each of its stop-pins. Such a device is shown in a large number of patents among which the Dirkes et a1. Patent 1,951,570, issued March 20, 1934, and the Dirkes et a]. Patent 2,023,952, issued December 10, 1935, may be noted.

A feature of the invention relates to the use of certain control signals preceding the various categories of items of information, a special signal 'being used before the matter which is not to be quoted. This is known as the rub-out signal. A key on the keyboard of the perforator used y the e t who Pr pare t e pu ched tape for transmission known as Tape operates toad vance the tape, so that it is conventional, forthis operator to use this key before punchin 'any codes. If then the first item of information. constitutes a quQt'a' Tion, then he records this and following quotations in a normal manner. If, however, the item of information is not to be quoted, he operates the rub-out key, so that a tape code followed by a rub-out code constitutes a no-quote signal, If at the end of such itemof information (which might be a news item) the operator then wishes to resume quotation of commodity prices, he may advance the tape several steps and he does this by operating the tape key. Thus the receipt of the code for tape which is not followed by the rub-out code constitutes a signal to enable the code translators.

Still another feature of the invention is the use in the code translator circuits of a common first letter translator. Where, by way of example, a plurality of commodities are designated by two letter codes each of which has the same first letter, then but a single first lettertranslator is employed, there being. an individual second letter translator for each.

A feature of the invention is a means for automatically posting various lengthquotati'ons. Ordinarily a quotation consists of a two lettercode followed by a four digit price quotation and a counting means is provided to subject the four digital places in the display unit to the number code leads so as to register the four digits of the quotation in turn. Usually these four, digits represent dollars, cents, and'fraction s, so that the displa yofithe four digits- 1975 would actuallyrepresent one dollar, ninety-seven and five-eighthscents, and while printed on the ticker tape as 197%, would be..understood'by'- the brokers to mean 31.97%; Very often thefraction-is'left off entirely so that the four place counting means does not reach the normal end of its operation, in which case r it is stepped along by the following letter code-withoutthe registration of a numeral in the last or fourth place of the display unit. A feature of the invention may then' he stated as a means for automaticailyadvancing the operation of the display means when less than thefull number f of codes is received to fill the spaces provided for the quotations.

Other features will appear hereinafter.

;The drawings consist cf'eleven sheets-havingfifteen figures, as follows:

i Fig. 1 is a schematic circuit diagram showing the conventional organization ofa ticker servicecircuit including the perforator, transmitter and monitor at the originating oflice, the circuit extendiru to a plurality of brokers offices and extending into thenext' figure to indicate the source of information handled by the deviceof thepresent invention; v V

Fig. 2 shows the essential circuits of aconventional type ticker having a single make ,contactoperated by each of its stop-pins, a universal or print contactand a transfer contact responsive to the type, uppercase or lower case, of code received and showing to oneside and in alignment with the said contaetsa representation ofb'oth the upper and lower case codes;

Fig. 3 is a schematic circuit diagramshowingthe so called No-Quotecircuit which will respond-totliat series of codes which precedes itemsof information other:than strictly market quotations, to disablevthe codetranslators both to prevent them from responding to codes fortuitousiy included in such items of information and to cut down useless and unnecessary operation thereof;

Fig. 4- is a schematic circuit diagram showinga. code translator or a circuit; which enabled; by. the'iNoeQuote circuit, willrespond to atwo characteriidentification'code;

iii

a common first letter component and two'second components being shown;

Fig. 5 is a schematic circuit diagram showing a quotation alternator, that is a circuit arrangement whereby a quotation being received is automatically routed to that one of the two display units provided for each coded commodity which contains the eldest quotation so that such eldest quotation may be erased, the present quotation recorded therein and the last quotation indicator associated therewith activated;

Fig. 6 is a schematic circuit diagram. showing one set of digital register relays and indicates'the remaining seven sets for one quotation display device, on which set of relays a single digit of the quotation may be registered to remain there until as part of an eldest quotation it is released to make way for the latest quotation;

Fig. 7 is a partly schematic circuit diagram and a partly exploded view of a pack of etched plastic discs showing how a small lamp (hidden in actual practice) is placed so as to provide light at the edge of a disc, such discs in practice being closely packedand' viewed in a line normal to their faces, so that when one ofthe lamps is lighted the pack will appear to display the particular numeral etched in that disc whose edge'is illuminated;

Fig. 8 is a schematic circuit diagram showing the connections made to a cathode glow. lamp in which any one of ten cathodes in the form of fine wires each bent into the shape of a difierent Arabic numeral may be selectively activated;

Fig. 9 is a diagram partly in. circuit schematic and partly in block form showing thev connections from a single code translator to a display unit consisting, of two number windows each having means for displaying four digits and a last quotation indicator lamp in the formtof a pointing arrow;

Fig. 10 is a schematic circuit diagram which together with Fig; 11 shows an arrangement alternative to the Que tation Alternator of Fig. 5 and' in whichFig. 10 shows circuits and apparatus common to a large numb'erof indi= vidual quotation alternator circuits;

Fig. 11 is a schematic circuit diagram showing the individual quotation alternator part of the circuit of'Flgs. 10 and 11 taken together; Fig. 12 is a block diagram showing how' Figs. 1, 2} 3; 4, 5 and 6 and any one of Figs. 7,' 8 or 9may be'placed to make a complete circuit diagram of one form, ofithe invention;

Fig. 13 is a block diagram similar to that of Fig. 12 'but i with Figs. 10 and 11 substitutedfor Fig. 5' to make a complete circuit diagram of another form of the invention;

Fig. 14 is a representation of a section of the punched tape prepared on the perforatorwhich .is used on thetrans mitter, and which shows a number of quotationsand an item of information which will operate the No-Quote cir: wit and which contains the" fortuitous simulation of a commodity codewhich is; nevertheless, unableto operate 7 the corresponding quotation display device; and Y Fig; 15 is a section of ticker tape produced byaticker responding to the codes transmitted by the tape of Fi'g.-14.

The device of the present invention is a means 'for directly displaying items of information beingtransmitted'in code over the well knownticker service circuits. The device may be inserted in such a line and'will operate without disturbing the tickers being served.- It produces a luminous display of the last and the next to last quotations in any given commodity or group of com modities. It may be used to display the quotations on one; several, or the complete'list'of cornmodities-quotedby the ticker service. It will reject items of information and quotations of all nature except the commodities'for which it has beenparticularly arranged. t

In Fig. '1 there is a schematic showingof aperfora'tor; a transmitter, and a monitor serving a ticker servicecin cuitissuing from an originating oflice andextending to a plurality of brokers offices, some of which are indicated in Fig. l and another of which is shown in detail in the remaining sheets of drawings. The transmission over this circuit will be a steady stream of codes, such as are shown in Fig. 2. Generally speaking, each group of quotations or items of information constituting commodity identification and price quotation is preceded by the codefor tape and each other item of information, such'perhaps as a news item, is preceded by the codes for tape and rub-out.

The selector The selector employed and shown in Fig. 2 may be of any conventional design that will respond to the transmission over the ticker service line. That shown is a modified ticker known as an editing ticker and which will respond in exactly the same manner as the tickers included in that circuit excepting that the type wheels have been removed and an individual contact has been arranged for operation by each stop-pin while the mechanism conventionally used to effectively differentiate between the two type wheels has now been used to connect a source of positive potential to the stop-pin contacts for lower case codes and a source of negative potential for upper case codes. From the code charts shown .in Fig. 2 it will thus appear that the entirely blank lower case code known as Tape will provide a connection through the Tape contact from a source of positive potential, while the RO (Rub-Out) contact Will provide a connection to a source of negative potential. Many of the letter codes are used for commodity identification and the ten Arabic numerals and the seven fractions are used for price quotations. In actual practice the fractions are translated to the number of eighths which such fraction represents as the numeral 3 for the fraction and the numeral 4 for the fraction /2 and so forth.

The operation of the circuits will now be described one at a time.

No-Quote circuit The No-Quote circuit is a flip-flop circuit devised to respond to certain codes to go to one condition and remain there indefinitely regardless of a steady stream of codes being received and to respond to another certain code to go to another condition and remain there indefinitely in like manner. In the arrangement illus trated herein, by way of example, the No-Quote circuit will respond to the two codes Tape and Rub-Out received successively and will operate a relay R to open a circuit constituting the main supply of potential to the display units so that so long as this relay R0 remains operated no one of the display units may be operated. Since all items of information other than actual quotations are preceded by these two codes Tape and Rub-Out the No- Quote circuit will respond thereto .and disable the plurality of display units.

The No-Quote circuit will also respond to the single code for Tape to establish its alternative stable state in which the main potential supply circuit to the display units is closed by the RO relay. The first item of information constituting a quotation following a non quoted item is preceded by the code for Tape.

The No-Quote circuit operates as follows. Let us assume that the No-Quote code, Tape followed by Rub-Out is received. Normally the tube VB is conducting because the P relay operates on every character received by the ticker and hence is continuously acting to disable or extinguish the tube VA. Assume that the Print contact has released and as a result the relay P is also released and that the last character received was something other than Tape so that the relay TR was in its normal non-operated state. Thereupon, when the character Tape is received a corresponding stop-pin contact will be closed and the relay TR will be operated. The character Tape is a lower case code so that the shift contact is moved to apply positive potential over the Tape contact of the Editing Ticker and thence to the TR relay permanently connected to a source of negative potential. It is to be noted that the same stop-pin is never operated in the upper case as this code in upper case is blank, but if this should in some manner become inadvertently operated the negative potential applied to the TR relay would have no effect since the TR relay, as stated, is permanently connected to the source of negative potential.

Upon the movement of the armature of this relay, a circuit is closed from the source of positive potential over resistance R-l to condenser C-1 whose other terminal being permanently connected to the source of negative potential will become charged. Until the condenser C-l becomes charged, the potential supplied by the armature of relay TR through resistances R-1 and R-3 to the firing cathode of tube VA does not rise to a sufficient value to cause the firing of this tube.

Normally, tube VB is conducting so that the potential on its plate has been pulled down and condenser C-2 is charged to a potential constituting the full positive value on its left plate (connected to the plate of tube VA) and this lowered value on the plate of tube VB.

Condenser C-l will charge in approximately 2 milliseconds whereupon the tube VA fires and the main anode to cathode circuit becomes active and conducts current from the source of positive potential, resistance R-4, the path through tube VA and the winding of the PR relay to the source of negative potential resulting in the operation of this relay.

In firing, the potential of the plate of tube VA drops. and thus effectively applies a negative pulse to the plate of tube VB which results in the extinguishing of that tube whereupon condenser C-2 will recharge through the resistance 0-5 to prepare the tube VB for reoperation. It takes approximately ten milliseconds to attain a high enough potential on the plate of tube VB to sustain main anode to cathode conduction if tube VB is re-fired.

Tube VB will be re-fired in about twenty-five millithe relay P. The Print contacts remain closed about thirty milliseconds during which time the tube VB is fired on the application of positive potential to the condenser C-3 and thus over resistance R-S to the firing electrode of the tube VB. In about ten milliseconds the condenser C-3 becomes charged through the resistance R-7 so that the potential on the firing electrode of tube VB is reduced to a value below the required firing potential.

Conduction in the main anode circuit of tube VB causes a change in the voltages applied to condenser C-Z. Prior to the operation of relay P the right handplate of this condenser was at the full positive potential supplied through resistance R-5 and the left hand plate was held at a reduced potential due to conduction in tube VA (the main anode voltage drop of tube VA). When the tube VB fires, the left hand plate of condenser C2 drops and tube VA is extinguished. Relay PR releases. Since relay TR is being held operated from the tape stop-pin contacts on the ticker, positive potential is being applied to the VA tube control electrode condenser C-I. Condenser (3-3 dropped to less than the firing potential of tube VB about ten milliseconds after the operation of relay P and at about the same time the left hand plate of condenser C-2 reached a positive potential sufficient to sustain conduction of the main anode cathode circuit of tube VA. Therefore, at the end of about ten milliseconds (relay TR remaining operated) tube VA re-fires and extinguishes tube VB through the action of condenser C-2 as hereinbefore described. Relay PR is reoperated. Thus even though relay P may still be operated, tube VB cannot be re-fired, except by a release and a reoperation of the relay P. When the stop-pin contact operation on the-ticker has been completed following receipt' of theTape character, the-fiip-flop will always stop'oscillating with tube VA conducting-and "tube VB follows; TheTapie stop pin'contacts on the ticker break and the TR 'relay. releases, applying positive potential I to the lower terminal of theRO relay. Thereafter theRub- Out stop-pin contacts on theticker are closed and since the Rub-Out character is ans-upper case character the shift-contacts will-be operated to supplyi a negative potential and-hence sueh negative potential-will be applied through the frontcontaet of the PR" relay, the resistance R'-"-9to the topterminalof; the RO- relay. This relay operates and locks: through:- its left-hand armature and frontcontact-and-will remain so locked until the TR relay is again operated.

The'RO relay in operatingopens the circuit for supp'lying positive potential to the main anodes of the display circuit tubes.

It is to be noted that shortly after the RO relay has been operated, the print contact is operated, the P relay is' operated, the tube VB -is fired, and the tube VA is extinguished, thus releasing the PR relay. At the conclusion of-theTape-Rub-Out cod'e'which causes the operations just covered-,the No-Quote circuit comes to rest with the tube VB'conducting and-the-relay R operated. Tube VA is non-conducting and relay PR is released and this condition willbe steadily maintained until the relay TR-is againoperated; Throughout this period the print contacts-will be operated on each and everycode'but this-merely'acts to fire'the VB tube, which being conducting remains in this condition.-

. When the circuitis-thrown baclc-to display by thereceipt of-a-Tape character (not immediately followed by a Rub-Out charac'ter),-the No-Quotefunction will be released by the operationofQthe relayTR. Because'the relay TR drives tube VA, the VA tube will. fire on this operation also and relay PR willoperate as before. Upon the operation of the TR relay,-the RO relay is released and since this code is not followed by the Rub-Out code it will not be reoperated even though the PR relay is momentarily operated. Thereafter the print contacts are closed, the relay P is operated, the tube VB is fired, and the tube VA-is extinguished. The circuit will-remain in this stable state indefinitely until a' new valid No-Quote code is received and the relay R0 being released, the display circuits will be enabled.

Code translator circuit The code translator circuit, of which-theremay be anindefinite number as desired, is a circuit having three incoming conductors,- one'for the first letter of the code, a second for the completing'letter of the code, and a' third for the print contact. The'firstand second letter conductors maybe multipled to anystop-pin contacts desired. Thus, if the first-"letter conductor is connected to the S stop-pin'contact and the second letter conductor is connected to the U stop-pin contact (both lower case) this'particular code translator circuit will respond to the SU code.

:There are two tubes in a flip-flop circuit which respond to the first letter of the code and a relay (CT) which will respond to the second letter of the code only immediately after the receipt of the first letter. No completing letter circuit will respond unless enabled by the flip-flop circuit activated by the first letter.

The flip-flop action between tubes V1 and V2 is the same as theaction between the tubes VA and VB of the No-Quote circuit. Tube V2 is fired by the print contact and deionizes the V1- tube but V1 re-fires and deionizes tube VZwhen the S-stop-pincontact is operated simultaneously with the print contact. Therefore,

when the character- S is-received, the-positive potential on the S conductor triggers the V} tube and leaves it: conducting-so that the- MQsrelay will be left operated when 'the S-contacts break.- The-print contact will relieve this: condition-on the first subsequent character other than another S. RelayMQ, operated, preparesa nega tive battery termination through the CT-relay.

Where-a numberof-code"translatorcircuits all respond to-codes-having-thesame first letter, the MQ-relay. may prepare the CT relays of'all the second letter circuitsin parallel whereby that one which responds to a particular completing code letter will operate.

' The"U stop pin'contactson' the-tickerclose ahead ofthepr'int contacts* and"this"'causes -the CT relayto operate." Themainfunct'ion of the CT relay isto remove ground'from "the single outgoing "conductor of the codetranslator circuit extending to the-control electrode condensers of' the Quotation Alternator which will be described hereinafter." I

About twenty-five milliseconds after the relay CT- operatesjthe' print" contactcloses, whereupon positive battery"is"appliedto' the'fii'ingelectrode of the'V2 tube and "resultsinthe'firin'g of this tube. This extinguishes' the Vltube and releases the 'MQ relay and, in turn, the CT relay.

Thesequence of 'operations is'as follows:

( 1 )'Th e'U stop=pin contacts closer" (2). Relay CT' operates.

(13") Tube' VI isj'extingu'ishedi Relay CT: releases.

When'relay"CT"releases"and"restores ground to the contror'electrode condensersconnected to the back con tact offitsri'g'ht' hand? armature, tlie'capacity kick of these Quotation"'Alternator"condensers" causes the flip.- flop. in that circuit to operate; which'in turn opens the gate"for"the' succee'dingdig'its" of the quotation as explained hereinafter.

The above describedoper'ationsof this code translator enable"QuotationAlternator to respond tothe digits Oto 9'and' the representations of the'fractions /s to- /s from.'- the ticker leads to the proper level of lamps associated with the particular item selected by the code translator. It. will be shown hereinafter that the FR and either. the G'1 or G-2 relays will remain up for the following-four'operations 'ofthe'ticker. At the end of the'four'th operation, relay. P-Sin the digit stepping circuit operates 'torelease these relays and at that time the three or fourdigit price-quotation will be registered in th'e'display'lamp circuits and these numbers will continue in displayuntil the second quotation following causes a' repetition of the action' just described. (The first quotation-following will cause similar action but will be directedto the" alternate level of display lamps.) The G-l or G-2 relay and the FR- relay can be released also-by a tape character which operates relay TR, this feature being provided so that the operator'm'ay correct a 'quotation when:an error is: made.

The function of the Code Translator may. be summarized as follows. When the-stop-pin contacts of the ticker or any other selectively. operated contactsare operated in the sequence corresponding to the assigned-code, the Code T ra'nslator operates'momentarily to'pulse the Quotation Alternator. Timingis important in this pulsing function and it is therefore placed under control of the print contact since this does the counting and causes registration from this point o'n 'and is used as the reference in the sequence. Therefore, following the release of the printcontact in its operation at the time the second code lette'r is registering, the Quotation Alternator is triggered. Consequently, the gate to admit digits to the associated lamp circuits is opened during the release'of the'print contact between its-excursions in cooperation with the-last code letter and first digit in' the-sequence; Thisarrangement provides-adequate time for, gate circuit operation and proper timing which prevents clipping the first digit, or pulsing incorrectly due to the second code letter being recognized as a stepping pulse.

It should be noted that the connection in the code translator circuit at the armature of the MQ (multiquote) relay constitutes a common multiple point to which other second letter responsive circuits may be connected. For example, if there were five other codes having S as their first letter, the Codev Translators for these five would consist of a single flip-flop circuit (tubes V1 and V2 and relay MQ) and five second letter circuits all connected in multiple to the armature of the MQ relay and each being responsive to a different stop-pin contact as illustrated. This arrangement permits equipment associated with the first letter to be used for all codes in a given commodity, such as the 6 trading months for wheat, WK, WZ, WN, etc.

The stop-pin ticker contacts of S and U may be connected as etiher first or second letters of other code translators since the high impedance charging circuits in which these contacts work permits random connections without interference or other adverse effects.

The winding of the P relay, shown in the No-Quote circuit is shunted by a condenser and resistance circuit to provide some delay and marking bias. This bias is required to insure a pulse sufficiently long to operate the digit stepping relays.

The Quotation Alternator The Quotation Alternator circuit shown in Fig. controls the gate relays (G-1 and G-2) which steer the integers and fractions of the quotation to the lamp circuit of the particular item being quoted. The alternator also switches the quotations to first one level of lamps and then another (there may be more than two levels if a more accurate trend is desired), and causes the Last Quote lamp to continuously indicate the last quotation. During the switching operations the lamps which are glowing in the level to be used for the new quotation are extinguished and then conditioned to be fired. In the circuit of Fig. 5 the individual flip-flop circuit responsive to the incoming code such as SU is associated with an individual set of stepping relays and an individual set of number relays, whereas in another embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 10 and 11 the stepping relays and number relays are common and the gate relays increased to switch a larger number of circuits.

The flip-flop circuit in the Quotation Alternator is basically the same circuit as that used in the No-Quote and the Code Translator circuits. The Control electrode condensers, however, are pulsed from a common lead, that is the code lead from the CT relay of the Code Translator circuit. The main anode circuit impedance of the tube V-4 is less than the main anode impedance of F-S. This unbalance eliminates the probability of both tubes firing on the first triggering action following deactivation and insures that at that time the tube V-4 will fire. (Deactivation is controlled by contacts on the Erase Relay.)

Activation in the Code Translator when the twoassociated code letters are sensed by the ticker in sequence causes the particular CT relay to operate so as to pulse the individual (SU) code lead extending to the flip-flop tube circuit in the quotation alternator. The contacts of the CT relay charge the trigger circuit condensers associated with the tubes V-4 and V-5 and this will cause the extinguished tube to fire which in turn extinguishes.

the other tube, the transfer taking place when the relay CT releases and restores ground on the then charged condensers. The tubes remain in this state until this same code is sensed by the ticker on a subsequent operation at which time the code translator pulses the quotation alternator again and the condition of tubes V-4 and V-5 will reverse.

Assuming that a code (SU) is received and that the -LB-l and the G-1 relays.

1Q flip-flop causes relay X-l to operate and X-2 to release, relay X-l will then cause the operation of relay F-l. Relay F-1 operated,'drives the LB-l and G-l relays up by the condenser kick on the charging of condenser 0-4. Relay G-l locks up to positive battery supplied over its front contact and inner lower armature and the lower armature and back contact of the P8 relay to the back contact and armature of the TR relay in the No-Quote circuit. The G-l relay will thus lock up long enough to connect the digit and fraction leads to the inputs of the N-l to N-4 distributing relays but will be released on the final operation of the P-1 to P-S counting relays or the next operation of the TR relay.

A circuit is provided from the shift contact of the ticker (see Fig. 2) through a front contact and armature of the P-l relay (see Figs. 5 and 10) to the tape lead so that if the usual four digit quotation is shortened, even to a one digit quotation, then the TR relay in the No-Quote circuit (Fig. 3) will be pulsed and this will result in the release of the counting relays and the gate relays whereby the circuits are prepared for the next quotation.

Relay LB-1 operates momentarily, which first removes positive battery from the locking circuit of the K relays (Fig. 6) to erase the display of the eldest quotation and then restores this battery so that on the immediately following operation thereof these K relays will lock. This causes the windows of this display array to go dark just prior to registration of the integers and fractions. which follow. Relay G-l, operated, causes the opera-- tion of relay FR which functions to translate the fractions into corresponding integers. It may be noted that. since such integers are commonly used instead of fractions which are printed by the tickers.

The quotation alternator has now opened the gate to connect the stop-pin contact leads from the ticker through. to the level of the display array associated with the: From this point on, as the N-l to N-4 relays are pulsed on successive operations: of the ticker print contact by way of the P relays, they connect the stop-pin contacts through to the lamp circuits. The operated stop-pin contact corresponding to the integer or fraction selected on'that particular operation willi cause that number to register by the operation and locking of a corresponding K relay (Fig. 6), and the operated K relay will in turn enable the corresponding display lamp.

Following the fourth operation of the print contact,

Relay P8 in the digit stepping circuit operates and opens the positive battery lead (TRfrom back contact of relay TR) whereby relay G-1 and thereby relay FR are released. The counting relays P-1 to P-7 inclusive have operated in turn and locked to this positive battery but whenrelay P-S operates it short circuits relay P-7 so that the counting relays as well as the gate relays are released. Relays X-1 and F4 remain operated in the V-4 tube circuit, relay F-l holding ground on the last quote lamp lead to keep this lamp in glow.

When the next code is sensed by the ticker the Code Translator again triggers the Quotation Alternator but this time the tube V-5 fires and tube V4 is extinguished. Similar action as described takes place except that all the action is now in the circuit associated with the second level of the display unit.

It is to be noted that the operations herein described are the same for both embodiments of the invention,

the purely individual circuit of Fig. 5 or the circuit using common components (Fig. 10) shown in the combination of Figs. 10 and 11 as these two embodiments are indicated in Figs. 12 and 13 respectively.

Digit stepping circuit The digit stepping circuit shown both in Fig. 5 and Fig. '10 is used to advance the digits from place to place in the display .array in unison with the receipt of the respective digits by the ticker.

Relays P1 to P-S constitute a counting circuit which counts Print contact operations of the ticker. The counter is started after the Quotation Alternator is operated by receipt of a code and the gate is thereby opened to permit the print lead is extended by an operated G-l or 6-2 relay to the junction leading in one direction to the N relays and in the other direction to the counting relays. The first operation is the energization of the N-l relay and the Pl relay. The P-1 relay closes the circuit for the P-2 relay but this is short circuited until the print contact opens whereupon P-Z operates and advances the circuit, releasing the N-l relay and preparing for operating the N-2 relay.

During the operation of the N1 relaythe selected stop-pin contact corresponding to the first digit of the quotation will be connected to the corresponding K relay which operates and locks to enable the corresponding display lamp.

When the print contact operation ends, relay N-1 is released and relay N-Z is enabled, for operation on the next closure of the print contacts. Thus on four successive closures of the print contact the N-l to N-4 relays are successively operated and the four digits or char acters of the quotation are registered.

The release of the print contact on its excursion in cooperating with the fourth stop-pin contact causes relay P-S to operate and since this shunts relay P-7 the positive holding battery from relay TR is removed whereby the counting relays and the gate relays are released. All these relays are released and the stepping circuit is restored to its starting point. The registration of the quotation remains locked in the display unit by the locked up K relays and these will not be released until another quotation seeks to come into the level, at which time the pulsing of relay LB-i or LB-Z removes the holding battery on the K relays.

Digit registration circuit There is a set of K relays for the registration of each digit as shown in Fig. 6. This is a simple circuit whereby one of the ten relays is selectively operated through the corresponding contacts of the N relays under the arrangement of Fig. 12 and the contacts of the G relays under the arrangement of Fig. 13. Holding ground is supplied by the corresponding LB relay which is momentarily pulsed on the operation of the flip-flop circuit of tubes V-4 and V-S.

The display units The display units may be of any desired nature which may be operated by the output leads of the K relays. Fig. 7 indicates a stack or pile up of engraved plastic discs made to glow by small lamps mounted to illuminate the edges thereof. Fig. 8 shows the essential elements of a cathode glow lamp called an lnditron in which one of its cathodes made of fine wire bent into the shape of a corresponding Arabic numeral is made to glow. Fig. 9 is an indication of the connections made to the four digit dis play areas and the last quotation lamp for each of the two display arrays (there may be more than two arrays) of a display unit. The device of the present invention will include from one to a large number of these units depending on the requirement of the broker. Each will have its corresponding code plainly displayed in association therewith.

General arrangements Fig. 14 is a representation of the punched tape prepared on the perforator which is then placed in the transmitter for transmission over the ticker service circuit, and Fig. 15 is the record produced thereby on a ticker. Attention and a fraction and one which contains no fraction and,

therefore, contains only three numerical codes instead of the usual four. This shows that no Wrong operation is caused even when the counting relays are not completely operated within this particular item of information.

Following the end of these six quotable items of information a note This note has been preceded by a No- Quote signal which causes the device to ignore any code combinations appearing herein. With transmission of the quote signal, recognition of codes resumes. is inserted. The No-Quote signal is Tape followed by Rub-Out. In the punched tape the Tape signal is an entirely blank code and this causes a square dot in the upper level to be printed by the ticker. The Rub-Out signal is a completely filled code (six mark signals) and this produces no result in the ticker so it cannot be found therein. At the end of this non quoted item of information the operator has advanced the tape two steps as can be seen from the two entirely blank codes printed on the ticker tape as square dots in the upper level before the following quotable items of information.

Attention is called to the fact that the normal space code (mark signals in places 1 and 4) produces a square dot in the lower level of the typing. This is normal and conventional, the purpose being to check that the space between words in the upper level are not wrong operations of the ticker. Attention is also called to the fact that one code used herein, by way of example, is the code SU. This also appears in the body of the Word resumes but since this item of information has been preceded by the No-Quote signal, it does not result in any operation of the display means.

What is claimed is:

1. An information display device for displaying information transmitted in a long series of groups of codes in which items of information in a given category are scattered among items of information in other categories, each item of information in said given category containing identification codes followed by information codes, an on and off circuit responsive to one particular code to switch said circuit off and responsive to an additional code to switch said circuit on, a plurality of display units, each consisting of a double set of display lamps and an indicator for each said set of display lamps to indicate the last set of lamps to have been operated, means operative in the off position of said on and off circuit responsive to identification codes for selecting a given one of said display units and means within said selected unit thereafter responsive to information codes for automatically selecting, releasing, and operating the eldest operated set of display lamps and for releasing said indicator lamp associated with the other said set of lamps and for operating said indicator lamp associated with said eldest operated set: of lamps.

2. An information display device for displaying information transmitted in a long series of groups of codes in which items of information in a given category are scattered amongitems of information in other categories, each item of information in said given category containing identification codes followed by information codes, an on and off circuit responsive to one particular code to switch said circuit off and responsive to an additional code to switch said circuit on, a plurality of display units, each consisting of a double set of display lamps and an indicator for each said set of display lamps to indicate the last set of lamps to be operated. means operative in the off position of said on and of? circuit responsive to identification codes for selecting a given one of said display units, means within saidselected unit thereafter responsive to information codes for automatically selecting, releasing, and reoperating the eldest operated set of display lamps and for operating the indicator lamp associated therewith, and means for releasing the previously operated indicator whereby both sets of display lamps will remain operated to give information while but one of said indicators will be operated.

3. An information display device for inclusion in a ticker circuit and responsive to the transmission of information thereover, consisting of means for selecting items of information in predetermined categories and for displaying said selected information in each said predetermined category on a duplicate set of display devices, one displaying the last and the other the next to last item of information received over said circuit, an indicator for each said set of display devices for indicating which of said devices contains the last item of information in each said category and means responsive to the receipt of a later item of information in a said category for substituting said later item of information in said display devices for said next to last item of information and for alternating the operation of said indicators.

4. An information display device for displaying information transmitted as a series of items in code suitable for the working of conventional telegraph tape printers, consisting of a two part display unit for each category of information, means for routing said items of information to corresponding units, means for displaying the last quotation in each category alternately on the said two parts of the corresponding display unit and for maintaining the next to last quotation alternately on the other of the said two parts of the display unit and means for indicating the last quotation received in each said unit.

5. An information display device for displayinginformation transmitted as a series of items in code suitable for the working of conventional telegraph tape printers, each said item of information containing an identification code followed by a multidigit information code, a plurality of display devices each consisting of two multidigit display units and each display unit having a plurality of display areas, a number of lamps equal to the the number of characters to be displayed in each said area, means responsive to said identification codes for selectively enabling said display devices, gating means for automatically enabling one or the other of said units and for successively enabling said areas, said lamps being selectively responsive to said information codes and a last-quote indicator for indicating the unit within each said display device last operated.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,978,094 Smith Oct. 23, 1934 1,983,905 Hoover Dec. 11, 1934 2,074,423 Peterman Mar. 23, 1937 2,142,106 Boswau Jan. 3, 1939 2,260,116 Hicks Oct. 21, 1941 2,288,645 Quinby July 7,1942

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